Nurturing tomorrow’s leaders with the support of Banco Santander

November 28, 2012

NUS Business School students visiting Warner Studios in Los Angeles.

This year, Shaan Akhtar was one of 18 National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School students who gained invaluable insight into the US’ vibrant entertainment industry at the Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Shaan, one of the participants in the Santander Students Mobility Programme, also had the opportunity to visit leading corporations in the US like Buffalo Studios, an application developer, and retail giant Target.

The Santander Students Mobility Programme, supported by major European bank Banco Santander through its Santander Universities Global Division, aims to provide international exposure to students to initiate them into the world of global business and encourage leadership development. Shaan, who is doing his MBA at NUS, says, “The trip really brought an outside-of-classroom holistic view of education. I am truly grateful for being a part of this trip and I want to take this opportunity to thank NUS and Santander for the wonderful opportunity.”

Apart from the Santander Students Mobility Programme, Banco Santander also supports the Santander Undergraduate Research Exchange (SURE) programme at NUS, the Santander-NUS Doctorate in Advanced Risk Management Programme and the Santander Chair for Mobility of Young Faculty & Researchers programme.

Over the last year, these programmes have touched the lives of more than 50 students at NUS. Erik Christianto, a student from the Faculty of Engineering at NUS, was one of six students who participated in the SURE programme, which allowed him to conduct research overseas under the mentorship of top researchers at Brown University in the US. The programme also gives SURE students the opportunity to conduct research at other premier universities such as Imperial College London, UK, and Tsinghua University, China.

Erik says, “My research experience at Brown University was tremendous! Professors entrust undergraduates with real-life projects with postdoctoral researchers readily offering advice and tutelage on complex mechanisms. This working culture has definitely encouraged me to think of a career in research. Thank you, Banco Santander for the SURE Programme!”

Banco Santander supports these NUS projects through its Santander Universities Global Division. The division maintains a stable alliance with more than 1,020 academic institutions in America, Asia and Europe, supporting the Higher Education sector in areas such as teaching and research, international cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer, entrepreneurial initiatives, student mobility and innovation.

Through the support of organisations like Banco Santander, NUS continues to further its vision of nurturing global thinkers who are well-equipped to tackle the challenges of today’s fast-paced society.